Harmful gas treatment apparatus and operating method thereof

Abstract

The present invention provides a harmful gas treatment apparatus, which is an apparatus installed in a semiconductor manufacturing facility and configured to treat harmful components contained in a gas, wherein the semiconductor manufacturing facility comprises: a semiconductor process chamber; a foreline exhaust pipe extending from the semiconductor process chamber; a vacuum pump for discharging gas from the semiconductor process chamber through the foreline exhaust pipe; and a pump exhaust pipe through which the gas discharged from the vacuum pump flows, and the harmful gas treatment apparatus comprises: a vacuum plasma reactor installed on the foreline exhaust pipe and generating a plasma reaction with respect to the gas discharged from the semiconductor process chamber, to perform plasma treatment on the gas; a power supply device for supplying power to the vacuum plasma reactor; and a wet scrubber connected to the pump exhaust pipe and treating, in a wet manner, the entire gas discharged from the vacuum pump.

Description

Hazardous gas treatment equipment and its operation method

[0001] The present invention relates to gas processing technology, and more particularly, to equipment for processing harmful gases emitted from a semiconductor process chamber and a method for operating the same.

[0002] Patent No. 10-2378727, a patent document related to the technical field of the present invention, describes a scrubber system comprising a combustion unit that combusts waste gas discharged from a semiconductor process chamber by a vacuum pump, a tank that stores a solution that contacts the combustion gas discharged from the combustion unit and captures water-soluble dissolved gases and impurity particles contained in the combustion gas, and a wet tower that sprays the solution onto the combustion gas discharged from the tank. Since such a conventional scrubber system must be operated 24 hours a day, fuel must be continuously supplied for the operation of the combustion unit, and there is a risk of explosion due to fuel use.

[0003] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a hazardous gas treatment device and an operating method thereof that efficiently and safely removes hazardous components contained in gases discharged from a semiconductor process chamber.

[0004] In order to achieve the above object of the present invention, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hazardous gas treatment device, which is installed in a semiconductor manufacturing facility, which includes a semiconductor process chamber, a foreline exhaust pipe extending from the semiconductor process chamber, a vacuum pump for exhausting gas of the semiconductor process chamber through the foreline exhaust pipe, and a pump exhaust pipe through which gas exhausted from the vacuum pump flows, and which treats hazardous components contained in the gas, the hazardous gas treatment device comprising: a vacuum plasma reactor installed on the foreline exhaust pipe for generating a plasma reaction on gas exhausted from the semiconductor process chamber to treat the gas as plasma; a power supply device for supplying power to the vacuum plasma reactor; and a wet scrubber connected to the pump exhaust pipe for treating the entire gas exhausted from the vacuum pump in a wet manner.

[0005] In order to achieve the above object of the present invention, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for operating a hazardous gas treatment device for treating hazardous components contained in a gas, which is installed in a semiconductor manufacturing facility, the facility comprising a semiconductor process chamber, a foreline exhaust pipe extending from the semiconductor process chamber, a vacuum pump for exhausting gas of the semiconductor process chamber through the foreline exhaust pipe, and a pump exhaust pipe through which gas exhausted from the vacuum pump flows, wherein the hazardous gas treatment device comprises: a vacuum plasma reactor installed on the foreline exhaust pipe; a control unit for controlling the operation of a power supply unit for supplying power to the vacuum plasma reactor to adjust the power supplied to the vacuum plasma reactor; a wet scrubber connected to the pump exhaust pipe for treating the entire gas exhausted from the vacuum pump in a wet manner; and a gas measurement unit for measuring the state of a gas flowing in a section between the upstream of the vacuum plasma reactor and the downstream of the wet scrubber to collect gas information; wherein the gas information is confirmed by the control unit; a gas reference state setting step in which a gas reference state is set by the control unit; A method for operating a hazardous gas treatment device is provided, including a gas state comparison step in which the gas information and the gas reference state are compared by the control unit; and a power control step in which power supplied to the vacuum plasma reactor is controlled by the control unit according to a result of the comparison between the gas information and the gas reference state.

[0006] The present invention achieves all of the aforementioned objectives. Specifically, instead of a conventional 24-hour combustion unit, a vacuum plasma reactor is installed in the foreline exhaust pipe and operates only when the gas to be treated flows in. This eliminates the need for fuel supply or reduces fuel use in existing equipment, thereby improving energy efficiency and enhancing safety.

[0007] FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of a semiconductor manufacturing facility in which a hazardous gas treatment device according to one embodiment of the present invention is installed.

[0008] Figure 2 is a block diagram of an inflow gas measuring unit provided in the hazardous gas treatment equipment illustrated in Figure 1.

[0009] Figure 3 is a block diagram of an exhaust gas measuring unit provided in the hazardous gas treatment equipment illustrated in Figure 1.

[0010] Figure 4 is a flowchart schematically illustrating an operating method of a hazardous gas treatment device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0011] Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a configuration of a semiconductor manufacturing facility in which a hazardous gas treatment device according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed. Referring to FIG. 1, a semiconductor manufacturing facility in which a hazardous gas treatment device (100) according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed includes a semiconductor process chamber (C) in which a semiconductor manufacturing process is performed using various process gases, a foreline exhaust pipe (F) extending from the semiconductor process chamber (C) and through which a gas discharged from the semiconductor process chamber (C) flows, a vacuum pump (P) installed at the end of the foreline exhaust pipe (F) to form a negative pressure in the foreline exhaust pipe (F) in order to discharge the gas in the semiconductor process chamber (C), and a pump exhaust pipe (E) extending from the vacuum pump (P) and through which a gas discharged from the vacuum pump (P) flows. In the process in which the gas is discharged from the semiconductor process chamber (C), hazardous components contained in the gas are treated by the hazardous gas treatment device (100).

[0013] The semiconductor process chamber (C) includes all types of semiconductor process chambers commonly used to manufacture semiconductor devices in the field of semiconductor manufacturing equipment technology. Gases in the semiconductor process chamber (C) are discharged through the foreline exhaust pipe (F) and the pump exhaust pipe (E) by a vacuum pump (P).

[0014] The foreline exhaust pipe (F) extends from the semiconductor process chamber (C) and provides a path for gas discharged from the semiconductor process chamber (C). The gas flowing through the foreline exhaust pipe (F) is introduced into the vacuum pump (P).

[0015] The vacuum pump (P) forms a negative pressure on the semiconductor process chamber (C) side through the foreline exhaust pipe (F) to discharge gas from the semiconductor process chamber (C). The gas discharged from the process chamber (C) through the foreline exhaust pipe (F) flows into the vacuum pump (P), and the gas is discharged from the vacuum pump (P) through the pump exhaust pipe (E). The vacuum pump (P) includes all types of vacuum pumps commonly used for gas discharge in the field of semiconductor manufacturing equipment technology. The vacuum pump (C) may be a rated operation vacuum pump that operates at rated speed or a variable operation vacuum pump whose operating capacity can be adjusted. When the vacuum pump (P) is a variable operation pump, information on the operating capacity of the vacuum pump (P) in operation is transmitted to the control unit (190). A purge gas is supplied to the vacuum pump (P). In this embodiment, the purge gas is described as nitrogen (N2) gas.

[0016] A pump exhaust pipe (E) extends from a vacuum pump (P) and provides a path for gas discharged from the vacuum pump (P). Hot nitrogen (Hot N2) gas is introduced into the upstream end of the pump exhaust pipe (E) and flows along the pump exhaust pipe (E).

[0017] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a hazardous gas treatment equipment (100) comprises a vacuum plasma reactor (110) installed on a foreline exhaust pipe (F), a power supply (140) for supplying power to the vacuum plasma reactor (110), a wet scrubber (150) directly connected to the end of a pump exhaust pipe (E), an inflow gas measuring unit (160) for measuring the state of scrubber inflow gas flowing into the wet scrubber (150) and collecting scrubber inflow gas information, an exhaust gas measuring unit (170) for measuring the state of scrubber exhaust gas discharged from the wet scrubber (150) and collecting scrubber exhaust gas information, a flow rate control valve (180) for controlling the flow rate of high-temperature nitrogen gas supplied to the pump exhaust pipe (E), and a scrubber inflow gas information collected by the inflow gas measuring unit (160) and the exhaust gas measuring unit (170). It includes a control unit (190) that controls the operation of the hazardous gas treatment equipment (100) using collected scrubber exhaust gas information and operation information of the vacuum pump (P).

[0018] A vacuum plasma reactor (110) is installed on a foreline exhaust pipe (F) and generates a plasma reaction for a gas discharged from a semiconductor process chamber (C) to treat the gas as plasma. In the present invention, the vacuum plasma reactor (110) includes all types of plasma reactors that generate a plasma reaction. For example, the vacuum plasma reactor (110) may be an ICP reactor that uses an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) or a CCP reactor that uses a capacitively coupled plasma (CCP). The vacuum plasma reactor (110) operates by receiving power from a power supply (140). The vacuum plasma reactor (110) increases its plasma treatment capacity for a gas in general proportion to the power supplied from the power supply (140).

[0019] The power supply (140) supplies power to the vacuum plasma reactor (110) to operate the vacuum plasma reactor (110). The operation of the power supply (140) is controlled by the control unit (190), so that the power supplied to the vacuum plasma reactor (110) is regulated.

[0020] The wet scrubber (150) treats and discharges gas flowing in through the pump exhaust pipe (E) only in a wet manner. The wet scrubber (150) does not use any method other than the wet method. That is, the wet scrubber (150) does not use combustion by supplying fuel, heating by a heater, plasma reactor, etc., and only performs scrubbing using water. The downstream end of the pump exhaust pipe (E) is directly connected to the intake port of the wet scrubber (150).

[0021] The inflow gas measuring unit (160) measures the state of the scrubber inflow gas flowing into the wet scrubber (150) and collects scrubber inflow gas information. Referring to FIG. 2, the inflow gas measuring unit (160) is provided with an inflow gas pressure sensor (161) that measures the pressure of the inflow gas, an inflow gas temperature sensor (163) that measures the temperature of the inflow gas, and an inflow gas component analyzer (165) that analyzes the components of the inflow gas. That is, the scrubber inflow gas information collected by the inflow gas measuring unit (160) includes pressure, temperature, component, and concentration information of the inflow gas. The scrubber inflow gas information collected by the inflow gas measuring unit (160) is transmitted to the control unit (190) and used to control the hazardous gas treatment equipment (100). Only one or some of the sensors used to measure the state of the scrubber inflow gas in the inflow gas measuring unit (160) may be used.

[0022] The exhaust gas measuring unit (170) measures the state of the scrubber exhaust gas discharged from the wet scrubber (150) and collects scrubber exhaust gas information. Referring to FIG. 3, the exhaust gas measuring device (170) includes an exhaust gas flow rate sensor (171) that measures the flow rate of the exhaust gas and an exhaust gas pressure sensor (173) that measures the pressure of the exhaust gas. That is, the scrubber exhaust gas information collected by the exhaust gas measuring unit (170) includes information on the flow rate and pressure of the exhaust gas. The scrubber exhaust gas information collected by the exhaust gas measuring unit (170) is transmitted to the control unit (190) and used to control the hazardous gas treatment equipment (100). The scrubber exhaust gas information collected by the exhaust gas measuring unit (170) may include both information on the flow rate and pressure of the exhaust gas, or may be either information on the flow rate and pressure of the exhaust gas.

[0023] The flow control valve (180) controls the flow rate of high-temperature nitrogen gas supplied to the pump exhaust pipe (E). The operation of the flow control valve (180) is controlled by the control unit (190).

[0024] The control unit (190) controls the operation of the hazardous gas treatment equipment (100) using the scrubber inlet gas information collected by the inlet gas measurement unit (160), the scrubber exhaust gas information collected by the exhaust gas measurement unit (170), and the operation information of the vacuum pump (P). The operation of the control unit (190) is described in detail with reference to the hazardous gas treatment method illustrated in FIG. 4.

[0025] FIG. 4 illustrates a flow chart of a method for treating a hazardous gas according to an embodiment of the present invention. The method for treating a hazardous gas illustrated in FIG. 4 uses the hazardous gas treatment equipment (100) described with reference to FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 4 together with FIG. 1, the method comprises a step (S102) of checking whether a gas to be treated is introduced, a step (S104) of supplying power to a vacuum plasma reactor (110), a step (S106) of cutting off the power supplied to the vacuum plasma reactor (110), and a step (S107) of controlling the pressure of the inflow gas (P) that is the pressure of the inflow gas introduced into the wet scrubber (150). IN ) is confirmed, the step of checking the state of the inflow gas (S110), the step of checking the operating capacity of the vacuum pump (P) is confirmed (S120), and the step of checking the operating capacity of the vacuum pump (P) is confirmed, and the step of checking the standard pressure of the inflow gas (P SET_IN ) is set as the inlet gas reference pressure setting step (S130), and the exhaust gas pressure (P), which is the pressure of the exhaust gas discharged from the wet scrubber (150) OUT ) and the exhaust gas status confirmation step (S140) and the exhaust gas reference pressure (P SET_OuT ) and the exhaust gas standard state setting step (S145) in which the inlet gas pressure (P IN ) and the reference pressure of the inlet gas (P SET_IN ) is compared with the inlet gas pressure comparison step (S150), and the inlet gas pressure (P) is compared with the result of the inlet gas pressure comparison step (S150). IN ) is the reference pressure of the inlet gas (P SET_IN ) is confirmed to be less than or equal to the supply power maintenance step (S154) in which the power supplied to the vacuum plasma reactor (110) is maintained, and the inlet gas pressure (P) is compared with the inlet gas pressure as a result of the inlet gas pressure comparison step (S150). IN ) is the reference pressure of the inlet gas (P SET_IN ) is confirmed to be greater than the supply power increase step (S158) in which the power supplied to the vacuum plasma reactor (110) is increased, and the exhaust gas pressure (P) confirmed in the exhaust gas status confirmation step (S140)OUT ) and the exhaust gas standard pressure (P) set in the exhaust gas standard state setting step (S145) SET_OUT ) is compared with the exhaust gas state comparison step (S160), and the exhaust gas pressure (P) is compared with the result of the exhaust gas state comparison step (S160). OUT ) is the exhaust gas reference pressure (P SET_OuT ) is confirmed to be greater than the nitrogen flow rate maintenance step (S164) in which the flow rate of high-temperature nitrogen gas supplied to the pump exhaust pipe (E) is maintained, and the exhaust gas pressure (P) is determined as a result of the exhaust gas state comparison step (S160). OUT ) is the exhaust gas reference pressure (P SET_OuT ) is confirmed to be lower than the pressure of the exhaust gas (P) as a result of the exhaust gas state comparison step (S160), and the nitrogen flow rate increase step (S168) in which the flow rate of high-temperature nitrogen gas supplied to the pump exhaust pipe (E) is increased. OUT ) is the exhaust gas reference pressure (P SET_OuT ) If it is confirmed that the inlet gas pressure is higher than the reference pressure (P) SET_IN ) includes a step (S170) of resetting the inlet gas reference pressure.

[0026] In the gas inflow confirmation step (S102), it is confirmed whether the gas to be treated is introduced into the hazardous gas treatment equipment (100). The gas inflow confirmation step (S102) can be performed by the control unit (130) confirming the flow of the gas to be treated introduced into the vacuum plasma reactor (110). If it is confirmed in the gas inflow confirmation step (S102) that the gas to be treated is introduced into the hazardous gas treatment equipment (100), the power supply step (S104) is performed, and if it is confirmed in the gas inflow confirmation step (S102) that the gas to be treated is not introduced into the hazardous gas treatment equipment (100), the power cut-off step (S106) is performed.

[0027] In the power supply step (S104), power is supplied to the vacuum plasma reactor (110). The power supply step (S104) is performed when the inflow of the gas to be treated into the hazardous gas treatment equipment (100) is confirmed in the gas inflow confirmation step (S102). The power supply step (S104) is performed by the control unit (190) controlling the operation of the power supply device (140) that supplies power to the vacuum plasma reactor (110). The power supplied to the vacuum plasma reactor (110) through the power supply step (S104) can be controlled by the control unit (190).

[0028] In the power cut-off step (S106), the power supplied to the vacuum plasma reactor (110) is cut off. The power cut-off step (S106) is performed when it is confirmed in the gas inflow confirmation step (S102) that the gas to be treated is not flowing into the hazardous gas treatment equipment (100). The power cut-off step (S106) is performed by the control unit (190) controlling the operation of the power supply device (140) that supplies power to the electrostatic plasma reactor (110). Since the vacuum plasma reactor (110) operates only when the gas to be treated flows into the hazardous gas treatment equipment (100) through the power supply step (S104) and the power cut-off step (S106), energy efficiency is improved.

[0029] When power exceeding the set value is supplied to the vacuum plasma reactor (110) through the power supply step (S104), no powder is generated or only a very small amount of powder is generated within the vacuum plasma reactor (110), so that almost no powder is deposited in the pump exhaust pipe (E). However, if powder is deposited in the pump exhaust pipe (E) due to long-term use or there is a change in the amount or composition of the gas flowing into the hazardous gas treatment equipment (100), the amount of powder generated may increase. At this time, if powder accumulates in the pump exhaust pipe (E), the pressure of the pump exhaust pipe (E) increases. This means that the pressure of the scrubber inflow gas measured by the inflow gas measuring unit (160) increases.

[0030] In the inflow gas status check step (S110), the inflow gas pressure (P), which is the pressure of the inflow gas flowing into the wet scrubber (150), is IN ) is confirmed. The inflow gas status confirmation step (S110) is performed by the control unit (190) to check the inflow gas pressure (P) measured by the inflow gas measurement unit (160). IN ) can be performed by checking the inlet gas pressure (P IN ) can also utilize the exhaust pressure measured from the vacuum pump (P), which is also within the scope of the present invention.

[0031] In the operating capacity confirmation step (S120), the operating capacity of the vacuum pump (P) is confirmed. The operating capacity confirmation step (S120) is performed when the vacuum pump (P) is a variable operation vacuum pump whose operating capacity can be adjusted. The operating capacity confirmation step (S120) can be performed by the control unit (190) confirming the operating capacity of the vacuum pump (P) that is in operation. If the vacuum pump (P) is a vacuum pump that operates at its rated capacity, the operating capacity confirmation step (S120) is omitted.

[0032] In the inlet gas reference pressure setting step (S130), the inlet gas reference pressure (P SET_IN) is set. In case the vacuum pump (P) is a variable operation vacuum pump, the inflow gas reference pressure setting step (S130) is the inflow gas reference pressure (P) corresponding to the operating capacity of the operating vacuum pump (P) confirmed by the control unit (190) through the operating capacity confirmation step (S120). SET_IN ) is performed by setting the reference pressure of the inlet gas (P). That is, when the vacuum pump (P) is a variable operation vacuum pump, the reference pressure of the inlet gas (P SET_IN ) can be set to a different corresponding value depending on the operating capacity of the vacuum pump (P) in operation. In the case where the vacuum pump (P) is a rated operating vacuum pump, the inlet gas reference pressure setting step (S130) is a step in which the control unit (190) sets a fixed inlet gas reference pressure (P) for the vacuum pump (P). SET_IN ) is performed.

[0033] In the exhaust gas status check step (S140), the exhaust gas pressure (P), which is the pressure of the exhaust gas discharged from the wet scrubber (150), is OUT ) is confirmed. The exhaust gas status confirmation step (S140) is a step in which the control unit (190) measures the exhaust gas pressure (P) measured by the exhaust gas measurement unit (170). OUT ) can be performed by checking the exhaust gas status. Differently, the exhaust gas status checking step (S140) is performed by the control unit (190) measuring the exhaust gas flow rate (M) measured by the exhaust gas measuring unit (170). OUT ) can also be performed by checking, which is also within the scope of the present invention.

[0034] In the exhaust gas standard state setting step (S145), the exhaust gas standard pressure (P SET_OuT ) is set. The exhaust gas reference state setting step (S145) is when the control unit (190) sets the exhaust gas reference pressure (P SET_OuT ) can be performed by setting the exhaust gas reference state. Differently, the exhaust gas reference state setting step (S145) is performed by the control unit (190) by setting the exhaust gas reference flow rate (M SET_OuT) can also be performed by setting the method, which is also within the scope of the present invention.

[0035] In the inlet gas pressure comparison step (S150), the inlet gas pressure (P IN ) and the reference pressure of the inlet gas (P SET_IN ) are compared. The inflow gas input comparison step (S150) is where the control unit (190) compares the inflow gas pressure (P IN ) and the reference pressure of the inlet gas (P SET_IN ) is performed by comparing the inlet gas pressure (P) in the inlet gas input comparison step (S150). IN ) is the reference pressure of the inlet gas (P SET_IN ) is confirmed to be below, the power supply maintenance step (S154) is performed. The inlet gas pressure (P IN ) is the reference pressure of the inlet gas (P SET_IN ) is below, it is interpreted that the powder deposited in the pump exhaust pipe (E) is below the standard value. In the inlet gas input comparison step (S150), the inlet gas pressure (P IN ) is the reference pressure of the inlet gas (P SET_IN ) is confirmed to be greater than, the supply power increase step (S158) is performed. The inlet gas pressure (P IN ) is the reference pressure of the inlet gas (P SET_IN ) is greater than the standard, it is interpreted that the powder deposited in the pump exhaust pipe (E) exceeds the standard.

[0036] In the power supply maintenance step (S154), the power supplied to the vacuum plasma reactor (110) is maintained without change. The power supply maintenance step (S154) is performed based on the result of the inlet gas pressure comparison step (S150) of the inlet gas pressure (P IN ) is the reference pressure of the inlet gas (P SET_IN ) is performed when it is confirmed that the power supply maintenance step (S154) is below. The power supply maintenance step (S154) can be performed by the control unit (190) controlling the operation of the power supply device (140) so that the power supplied to the vacuum plasma reactor (110) is maintained without change.

[0037] In the power supply increase step (S158), the power supplied to the vacuum plasma reactor (110) is increased. The power supply increase step (S158) is performed as a result of the inlet gas pressure comparison step (S150) to determine the inlet gas pressure (P IN ) is the reference pressure of the inlet gas (P SET_IN ) is confirmed to be greater than the supply power. The supply power increase step (S158) can be performed by the control unit (190) controlling the operation of the power supply device (140) so that the power supplied to the vacuum plasma reactor (110) increases. By increasing the power supplied to the vacuum plasma reactor (110) through the supply power increase step (S158), the generation of powder is prevented.

[0038] In the exhaust gas status comparison step (S160), the exhaust gas pressure (P OUT ) and exhaust gas reference pressure (P SET_OUT ) are compared. The exhaust gas state comparison step (S160) is performed by the control unit (190) to compare the exhaust gas pressure (P OUT ) and exhaust gas reference pressure (P SET_OUT ) is performed by comparing the exhaust gas pressure (P) in the exhaust gas state comparison step (S160). OUT ) is the exhaust gas reference pressure (P SET_OuT ) is confirmed to be greater than, the nitrogen flow rate maintenance step (S164) is performed. In the exhaust gas state comparison step (S160), the exhaust gas pressure (P OUT ) is the exhaust gas reference pressure (P SET_OuT ) is confirmed to be less than or equal to the nitrogen flow rate, the nitrogen flow rate increase step (S168) is performed. In this embodiment, the exhaust gas pressure (P) is determined in the exhaust gas state comparison step (S160). OUT ) and exhaust gas reference pressure (P SET_OUT ) is explained as being compared, but differently, the exhaust gas flow rate (M) confirmed in the exhaust gas status confirmation step (S140) OUT ) and the exhaust gas standard flow rate (M) set in the exhaust gas standard state setting step (S145) SET_OuT) can be compared, which is also within the scope of the present invention. If the exhaust gas flow rate (M OUT ) is the exhaust gas standard flow rate (M SET_OuT ) is confirmed to be greater than the nitrogen flow rate maintenance step (S164) is performed, and the exhaust gas flow rate (M OUT ) is the exhaust gas standard flow rate (M SET_OuT ) is confirmed to be below, the nitrogen flow rate increase step (S168) is performed.

[0039] In the nitrogen flow rate maintenance step (S164), the flow rate of high-temperature nitrogen gas supplied to the pump exhaust pipe (E) is maintained without change. The nitrogen flow rate maintenance step (S164) is performed by comparing the exhaust gas pressure (P) in the exhaust gas state comparison step (S160). OUT ) is the exhaust gas reference pressure (P SET_OuT ) is confirmed to be greater than or equal to the exhaust gas flow rate (M OUT ) is the exhaust gas standard flow rate (M SET_OuT ) is confirmed to be greater than the nitrogen flow rate. The nitrogen flow rate maintenance step (S164) is performed by the control unit (190) controlling the flow rate control valve (180) that controls the flow rate of high-temperature nitrogen gas.

[0040] In the nitrogen flow rate increase step (S168), the flow rate of high-temperature nitrogen gas supplied to the pump exhaust pipe (E) increases. The nitrogen flow rate increase step (S168) is performed by comparing the exhaust gas pressure (P) in the exhaust gas state comparison step (S160). OUT ) is the exhaust gas reference pressure (P SET_OuT ) is confirmed to be less than or equal to the exhaust gas flow rate (M OUT ) is the exhaust gas standard flow rate (M SET_OuT ) is performed when it is confirmed that the nitrogen flow rate increase step (S168) is performed by the control unit (190) controlling the flow rate control valve (180) that controls the flow rate of high-temperature nitrogen gas.

[0041] In the inlet gas reference pressure reset step (S170), the inlet gas reference pressure (P SET_IN) is reset. The inlet gas reference pressure reset step (S170) is the result of the exhaust gas state comparison step (S160) and the exhaust gas pressure (P OUT ) is the exhaust gas reference pressure (P SET_OuT ) is confirmed to be less than or equal to the exhaust gas flow rate (M OUT ) is the exhaust gas standard flow rate (M SET_OuT ) is confirmed to be below. The inflow gas reference pressure reset step (S170) is performed when the control unit (190) increases the inflow gas reference pressure (P) in response to the flow rate of high-temperature nitrogen gas increased through the nitrogen flow rate increase step (S168). SET_IN ) is increased and reset. In the inflow gas reference pressure reset step (S170), the reset inflow gas reference pressure (P SET_IN ) is applied in the inlet gas pressure comparison step (S150).

[0042] The control unit (190) may monitor information such as pressure measured by the inflow gas measuring unit (160) and the exhaust gas measuring unit (170) and perform an alarm function for turning the equipment on / off.

[0043] The harmful gas treatment equipment (100) according to the present invention uses a plasma method instead of a conventional thermal method such as combustion, so there is no need for fuel supply, and the vacuum plasma reactor (110) can operate only when the gas to be treated is introduced, so energy efficiency is high. In addition, safety is improved because a low-temperature plasma reaction is used instead of a high-temperature combustion method. In addition, it uses electric energy as an energy source without burning fuel, and processes NO by using a plasma reaction at the front end of the combustion gas supply. X , SO X , it is environmentally beneficial by reducing CO2 emissions. In addition, since the thermal treatment device, such as a conventional combustor, is eliminated from the scrubber, the overall size of the scrubber is reduced.

[0044] The hazardous gas treatment equipment (100) according to the present invention can respond to fluctuations in exhaust gases from various semiconductor process chambers (C). Furthermore, a single hazardous gas treatment equipment (100) can be used regardless of the process of the semiconductor process chamber (C). In other words, there is no need to change the related configurations for gas treatment of the pump and plasma reactor for each of the various processes of the semiconductor process chamber (C).

[0045] Although the above embodiment described that the state of the gas flowing through the pump exhaust pipe (E) and the gas discharged from the wet scrubber (150) are monitored, the present invention is not limited thereto. The state of the gas flowing in the section between the upstream of the vacuum plasma reactor (110) and the downstream of the wet scrubber (150) may be monitored, and this also falls within the scope of the present invention. For example, monitoring of the gas may be performed at at least one point among the points between the process chamber (C) and the vacuum plasma reactor (110), between the vacuum plasma reactor (110) and the vacuum pump (P), between the vacuum pump (P) and the wet scrubber (150), and downstream of the wet scrubber (150). Through the monitoring, information on the flow rate, pressure, temperature, components, and concentration of the gas may be confirmed. The control unit (190) can control the operation of the power supply unit (140) based on the gas information confirmed through the above monitoring to adjust the power supplied to the vacuum plasma reactor (110). In addition, the control unit (190) can control the amount of reactive gas supplied to the vacuum plasma reactor (110) based on the gas information confirmed through the above monitoring to improve processing efficiency.

[0046] While the present invention has been described through the above examples, the present invention is not limited thereto. The above examples may be modified or altered without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, and those skilled in the art will recognize that such modifications and variations also fall within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. Equipment for treating harmful components contained in gas, installed in a semiconductor manufacturing facility, comprising a semiconductor process chamber, a foreline exhaust pipe extending from the semiconductor process chamber, a vacuum pump for exhausting gas from the semiconductor process chamber through the foreline exhaust pipe, and a pump exhaust pipe through which gas exhausted from the vacuum pump flows, A vacuum plasma reactor installed on the foreline exhaust pipe to generate a plasma reaction on gas discharged from the semiconductor process chamber and to process the gas into plasma; A power supply device for supplying power to the above vacuum plasma reactor; and Including a wet scrubber connected to the pump exhaust pipe and treating the entire gas discharged from the vacuum pump in a wet manner. Hazardous gas treatment equipment.

2. In claim 1, A gas measuring unit that collects gas information by measuring the state of gas flowing in the section between the upstream of the vacuum plasma reactor and the downstream of the wet scrubber; Further comprising a control unit for controlling the operation of the power device based on the gas information to control the power supplied to the vacuum plasma reactor. Hazardous gas treatment equipment.

3. In claim 2, The above gas information includes the pressure of the scrubber inlet gas flowing into the wet scrubber, The control unit increases the power supplied to the vacuum plasma reactor when the pressure of the scrubber inlet gas is greater than the set inlet gas reference pressure. Hazardous gas treatment equipment.

4. In claim 3, It further includes a flow control valve for controlling the flow rate of high-temperature nitrogen gas supplied to the above pump exhaust pipe, The operation of the above flow control valve is controlled by the above control unit, Hazardous gas treatment equipment.

5. In claim 4, The above gas information further includes the flow rate or pressure of the scrubber exhaust gas discharged from the wet scrubber, The control unit increases the flow rate of the high-temperature nitrogen gas supplied to the pump exhaust pipe and increases the inlet gas reference pressure to reset when the flow rate of the scrubber exhaust gas is lower than or equal to the set scrubber exhaust gas reference flow rate or the pressure of the scrubber exhaust gas is lower than or equal to the set scrubber exhaust gas reference pressure. Hazardous gas treatment equipment.

6. In claim 2, The above gas information includes the amount of a specific component contained in the gas. Hazardous gas treatment equipment.

7. In claim 3, The above vacuum pump is a variable operation vacuum pump with adjustable operating capacity. The above control unit checks the operating capacity of the vacuum pump and sets the inlet gas reference pressure corresponding to the operating capacity. Hazardous gas treatment equipment.

8. In claim 1, Further comprising a control unit for controlling the operation of the power device and checking the inflow of gas into the vacuum plasma reactor, The control unit controls the operation of the power supply device so that power is supplied to the vacuum plasma reactor only when gas inflow into the vacuum plasma reactor is confirmed. Hazardous gas treatment equipment.

9. A method for operating a hazardous gas treatment device for treating hazardous components contained in a gas, which is installed in a semiconductor manufacturing facility, and which comprises a semiconductor process chamber, a foreline exhaust pipe extending from the semiconductor process chamber, a vacuum pump for discharging gas from the semiconductor process chamber through the foreline exhaust pipe, and a pump exhaust pipe through which gas discharged from the vacuum pump flows, The above-mentioned hazardous gas treatment equipment comprises a vacuum plasma reactor installed on the foreline exhaust pipe, a control unit that controls the operation of a power supply device that supplies power to the vacuum plasma reactor and adjusts the power supplied to the vacuum plasma reactor, a wet scrubber connected to the pump exhaust pipe that wet-treats the entire gas discharged from the vacuum pump, and a gas measurement unit that collects gas information by measuring the state of gas flowing in a section between the upstream of the vacuum plasma reactor and the downstream of the wet scrubber. A gas status confirmation step in which the above gas information is confirmed by the control unit; A gas reference state setting step in which a gas reference state is set by the control unit; a gas state comparison step in which the gas information and the gas reference state are compared by the control unit; and Including a power control step in which the power supplied to the vacuum plasma reactor is controlled by the control unit according to the comparison result between the gas information and the gas reference state. Method of operating hazardous gas treatment equipment.

10. In claim 9, The above gas information includes the pressure of the scrubber inlet gas flowing into the wet scrubber, The above gas reference condition includes the scrubber inlet gas reference pressure, In the above gas state comparison step, when the pressure of the scrubber inlet gas is greater than the set inlet gas reference pressure, the power supplied to the vacuum plasma reactor in the power control step is increased. Method of operating hazardous gas treatment equipment.

11. In claim 10, The above harmful gas treatment equipment further comprises a flow control valve that controls the flow rate of high-temperature nitrogen gas supplied to the pump exhaust pipe and is controlled by the control unit. The above gas information further includes the flow rate of the scrubber exhaust gas discharged from the wet scrubber, The above gas reference condition further includes the scrubber exhaust gas reference flow rate, In the above gas state comparison step, the flow rate of the scrubber exhaust gas and the reference flow rate of the scrubber exhaust gas are further compared, In the above gas state comparison step, if it is confirmed that the flow rate of the scrubber exhaust gas is less than or equal to the exhaust gas reference flow rate, the control unit further includes a nitrogen flow rate increase step in which the operation of the flow rate control valve is controlled to increase the flow rate of the high-temperature nitrogen gas. Method of operating hazardous gas treatment equipment.

12. In claim 10, The above harmful gas treatment equipment further comprises a flow control valve that controls the flow rate of high-temperature nitrogen gas supplied to the pump exhaust pipe and is controlled by the control unit. The above gas information further includes the pressure of the scrubber exhaust gas discharged from the wet scrubber, The above gas reference condition further includes the scrubber exhaust gas reference pressure, In the above gas state comparison step, the pressure of the scrubber exhaust gas and the scrubber exhaust gas reference pressure are further compared, In the above gas state comparison step, if it is confirmed that the pressure of the scrubber exhaust gas is lower than the exhaust gas reference pressure, the operation of the flow rate control valve is controlled by the control unit to further include a nitrogen flow rate increase step in which the flow rate of the high-temperature nitrogen gas increases. Method of operating hazardous gas treatment equipment.

13. In claim 11 or claim 12, Further comprising an inflow gas reference pressure resetting step in which the inflow gas reference pressure is reset by the control unit in response to the increased flow rate of the high-temperature nitrogen gas as the nitrogen flow rate increasing step is performed. Method of operating hazardous gas treatment equipment.

14. In claim 10, The above vacuum pump is a variable operation vacuum pump with adjustable operating capacity. It further includes an operating capacity confirmation step in which the operating capacity of the vacuum pump is confirmed by the control unit, In the above inlet gas reference pressure setting step, the inlet gas reference pressure is set corresponding to the operating capacity of the vacuum pump. Method of operating hazardous gas treatment equipment.

15. In claim 9, A gas inflow confirmation step in which the control unit confirms whether gas is flowing into the vacuum plasma reactor, a power supply step in which power is supplied to the vacuum plasma reactor when it is confirmed that gas is flowing into the vacuum plasma reactor in the gas inflow confirmation step, and a power step in which power supply to the vacuum plasma reactor is cut off when it is confirmed that gas is not flowing into the vacuum plasma reactor in the gas inflow confirmation step. Method of operating hazardous gas treatment equipment.

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